What’s happened this week and what’s on this weekend in sport.
News in brief
World Cup Ticketing Scandal: FIFA’s pricing structure for the 2026 World Cup has sparked international outrage, with tickets ranging from $60 to $6,730 – but the real controversy lies in the official resale platform, which allows unlimited markups with 15% fees charged on both buying and selling. This has led to tickets being listed for as much as $959,000 for a single match. New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani has launched the “Game Over Greed” campaign in response to what he calls “legalized scalping by FIFA.” The next Random Selection Draw opened yesterday (December 11), with fans able to enter until 13 January 2026.
World Cup Draw: England have been drawn in Group D alongside Croatia, Ghana and Panama, with matches to be played in Dallas, Boston and New York/New Jersey. The Three Lions open against Croatia on 15 June 2026. England will face Uruguay and Japan at Wembley on 27 and 31 March – the final matches before Thomas Tuchel names his World Cup squad.
Chelsea Injury Crisis Deepens: The Blues go into Saturday’s clash with Everton without a win in four games, with their squad decimated by injuries. Wesley Fofana is a doubt after suffering an eye injury against Atalanta that left him “struggling to see,” while Liam Delap faces four weeks out with a shoulder injury. Moises Caicedo serves the final match of his three-game ban, Romeo Lavia has no return date from his thigh problem, and Levi Colwill is out for the season with an ACL injury. Manager Enzo Maresca has described dealing with the “gruelling injury cycle” as Chelsea’s form has stuttered.
Fulham’s Contract Standoff: Marco Silva’s future at Craven Cottage remains uncertain as his contract expires at the end of the season. The Portuguese manager, frustrated by what he called a “passive” summer transfer window, is reportedly seeking guarantees of January investment before committing to new terms – but the club won’t sanction spending without a contract signed first. With Fulham having lost five of their last six Premier League matches and sitting just three points above the relegation zone, and striker Rodrigo Muniz out until February, Silva’s demands for reinforcements appear urgent. The manager will also lose Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi and Samuel Chukwueze to the Africa Cup of Nations in late December.
Chelsea Women’s Unbeaten Run Ends in Shock: The defending WSL champions’ remarkable 34-game unbeaten streak came to a stunning end on Sunday as they fell 1-0 at home to Everton – a side that had won just one league game all season. Sonia Bompastor’s first defeat as Chelsea boss came despite the Blues dominating, hitting the bar twice in stoppage time and watching in disbelief as two goal-line clearances kept the ball out. Chelsea now trail leaders Manchester City by six points with 12 games remaining, their title defence suddenly in jeopardy.
Harlequins Women Battle Injury Crisis: The Stoop side head into Saturday’s match against Sale Sharks with 10 players sidelined by injury, including Black Fern Layla Sae, whose ACL injury has ended her PWR season after just one month in West London. Scotland and South Africa locks Sarah Bonar and Danelle Lochner face three to four months out, while Wales back-row Alex Callender is six to eight weeks away. Ireland international Aoife Wafer could make her Harlequins debut this weekend after recovering from the collarbone and knee injuries she suffered in the World Cup quarter-final against France in September. Despite the injury woes, Quins thrashed Leicester 56-28 last Saturday for their first win in four matches.
Fulham FA Cup: The Cottagers have been drawn at home to Championship side Middlesbrough in the Third Round, to be played on the weekend of 11-12 January 2026.
Coming up this week
Saturday, 13 December:
- AFC Wimbledon vs Mansfield Town – League One, 12:30pm (Cherry Red Records Stadium, Sky Sports+)
- Chelsea vs Everton – Premier League, 3pm (Stamford Bridge)
- Harlequins Women vs Sale Sharks – PWR, 5:30pm (Twickenham Stoop)
- Burnley vs Fulham – Premier League, 5:30pm (Turf Moor, Sky Sports)
Sunday, 14 December:
- Brighton & Hove Albion vs Chelsea Women – WSL, 12pm (Broadfield Stadium, Sky Sports Main Event)
- Fulham Women vs AFC Bournemouth Women – Women’s Championship, 2pm
League Tables
As of Thursday, 11 December 2025
Premier League
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 15 | 10 | +19 | 33 |
| 2 | Man City | 15 | 10 | +19 | 31 |
| 3 | Aston Villa | 15 | 9 | +7 | 30 |
| 4 | Crystal Palace | 15 | 7 | +8 | 26 |
| 5 | Chelsea | 15 | 7 | +10 | 25 |
| … | … | … | … | … | … |
| 15 | Fulham | 15 | 5 | -4 | 17 |
League One
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiff City | 18 | 12 | +15 | 38 |
| 2 | Bradford City | 18 | 9 | +8 | 34 |
| 3 | Lincoln City | 19 | 10 | +7 | 34 |
| 4 | Stockport County | 18 | 9 | +4 | 32 |
| 5 | Bolton Wanderers | 18 | 8 | +9 | 31 |
| … | … | … | … | … | … |
| 9 | AFC Wimbledon | 18 | 8 | -3 | 26 |
Women’s Super League
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 10 | 9 | +17 | 27 |
| 2 | Chelsea | 10 | 7 | +10 | 21 |
| 3 | Man United | 10 | 6 | +11 | 20 |
| 4 | Arsenal | 10 | 6 | +11 | 19 |
| 5 | Tottenham | 10 | 6 | 0 | 19 |
| 6 | Brighton | 10 | 5 | +4 | 15 |
Premiership Women’s Rugby
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gloucester-Hartpury | 6 | 6 | +106 | 30 |
| 2 | Saracens | 6 | 5 | +176 | 25 |
| 3 | Exeter Chiefs | 6 | 3 | +34 | 22 |
| 4 | Loughborough Lightning | 5 | 2 | +14 | 13 |
| 5 | Harlequins | 5 | 2 | -13 | 13 |
| 6 | Trailfinders Women | 5 | 2 | +3 | 12 |
What to watch
Chelsea look to bounce back from Tuesday’s Champions League defeat when they host Everton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon, while Fulham travel to face promotion-chasing Burnley in a tough test at Turf Moor (5:30pm, Sky Sports).
AFC Wimbledon kick off Saturday’s action with an early lunchtime clash against Mansfield Town at the Cherry Red Records Stadium (12:30pm, Sky Sports+), as the Dons look to climb the League One table.
Sunday sees Chelsea Women travel to Brighton seeking to bounce back from their first defeat of the season (12pm, Sky Sports Main Event), while Fulham Women host AFC Bournemouth in Women’s Championship action. Harlequins Women entertain Sale Sharks at the Twickenham Stoop on Saturday evening (5:30pm) in Premiership Women’s Rugby.
